Wonderwall

Bulk of new films focus on guns amid NRA criticism

On the Monday after the Dec. 14 school massacre in Newtown, Conn., MPAA
chairman-CEO Christopher Dodd telephoned the major Hollywood studio heads one by
one. Violence in movies often comes under scrutiny following mass shootings, so
Dodd wanted to touch base with his bosses, even though there was no indication
that Adam Lanza's rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School was inspired by movies
(he was an intense video gamer, however).

The MPAA issued a statement pledging Hollywood's support in assisting
President Obama's call for a special task force on gun violence. "Those of us in
the motion picture and television industry want to do our part to help America
heal," he said in his statement. "We stand ready to be part of the national
conversation."

But that conversation comes at a tricky time for Hollywood, which is
preparing to release a slew of violence-laced films. January is a favorite time
for genre fare, and next month is no exception, with eight of the 10 nationwide
releases rated R. Five of those feature an array of guns -- including assault
rifles.

National Rifle Association executive vp Wayne LaPierre took direct aim at
Hollywood during a press conference Friday in Washington, D.C.

"Thousands of music videos, and you all know this, portray life as a joke,
and they play murder -- portray murder as a way of life," LaPierre said. "And
then they all have the nerve to call it entertainment. But is that what it
really is? Isn't fantasizing about killing people as a way to get your kicks
really the filthiest form of pornography?"

Studio insiders say gun violence in movies is tempered by the fact that most
are about good guys battling villains. At the same time, they acknowledge that
the marketing materials might seem insensitive in the wake of the shooting.

Within 48 hours of the Sandy Hook shooting, Paramount reviewed its marketing
materials for the Tom Cruise film "Jack Reacher." The movie, which
opened Friday, begins with a sniper picking off victims on a city street. Among
other tweaks, the studio removed a scene from television spots showing Cruise's
character firing a semi-automatic weapon.

Warner Bros.' period cop-mob movie "Gangster Squad," which opens Jan. 11,
features a poster showing Sean Penn's character holding a machine gun, and Josh
Brolin's character is holding a handgun. And some NFL football viewers
complained online about a television spot for "Gangster Squad" that ran
repeatedly the Sunday following Sandy Hook because of a shoot-out scene. The
movie was already delayed once -- after the July theater massacre during a
midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." The delay allowed the
filmmakers to cut a scene of a shooting inside a theater and replace it with a
gunfight in Los Angeles' Chinatown neighborhood.

Lionsgate's Arnold Schwarzenegger action pic "The Last Stand", opening Jan. 18, is
even more intense in terms of its weaponry. According to the website Internet
Movie Firearms Database, the movie features 10 different firearms, including a
machine gun, assault rifles and a machine gun.

In the poster, Schwarzenegger is holding a massive Vickers machine gun, with
a smiling Johnny Knoxville standing next to him.

Other January films with guns featured prominently in marketing materials
include New Regency's "Broken City," starring Mark Wahlberg
as a former cop who uncovers a political scandal involving the city's mayor,
played by Russell Crowe. The movie, opening Jan. 18, isn't as heavy on weapons
as other January films.

FilmDistrict's R-rated crime thriller "Parker" has Jason Statham playing a
gun-toting professional thief who exacts revenge on those who betray him. He
stars opposite Jennifer Lopez in the film, which opens Jan. 22.

If there is one area where Hollywood has been willing to impose rules to
assuage Washington, it is in the marketing arena, rather than the stories it
tells. Such was the case in 2001 when the Federal Trade Commission concluded
that Hollywood was marketing R-rated films to kids.

In response, the MPAA, which administers the ratings system, agreed to
strengthen self-imposed industry rules about when R-rated trailers and
television spots can air. It also agreed to include more information about why a
film earns a certain rating.

Several studio insiders say they wouldn't be surprised if marketing rules
tighten further in the wake of the Newtown shooting, but they say it depends
upon the scrutiny Hollywood comes under.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers already are zeroing in on violent content. Sen.
Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., has introduced legislation directing the National
Academy of Sciences to study the impact violent video games and violent
programming have on children.